Midnight Revelations
by WriteByMoonlight
Summary: Nasir may know Soren's secret, but that doesn't mean he'll let him get away with betraying the Crimean army. A what-if fiction. Ike/Soren


Nasir had to be dealt with. At first he hadn't been a problem, his actions had been quite beneficial to the Crimean Army. He gained them a valuable ally when he reported their success to Gallia, but despite completing his mission he'd returned, and it had made Soren uneasy, though not outright suspicious. Until now. Daein had known they were coming, anticipated the position of their troops, even seemed to know their strategies ahead of time. I had been a hard battle, the cost great. The only difference between this battle and the previous was Nasir's presence in camp, which left Soren with little doubt of the traitor's identity.

He knew he should have gone directly to Ike, but something held him back. His need to be sure. Soren left the supply lists he had been completing on his desk and entered the cool night air in search of answers.

* * *

Roughly a half hour later Soren was once again in his tent. This time, though, he sat on his bed, his head cradled in his hands as an overwhelming mix of frustration and fear consumed him; his conversation with Nasir had gone horribly wrong. _Damn it! _he thought. _What was I thinking? He's a dragon laguz; of course he can sense it!_ _I can't let him betray us again, today's battle was a disaster. We can't afford another like it, and if Ike were injured it would be on my head. But if I expose Nasir he'll expose me. I couldn't bear it if Ike hated me. _

Doubts swirled through Soren's mind as he searched for a way -any way- out of the hole he'd dug himself into. He wasn't sure he had the strength to tell Ike the secret plaguing him, but he'd never be able to live with himself if he didn't.

Raising his head Soren muttered bitterly, "Damned if I do, damned if I don't. Actually," he reached up to touch the mark on his forehead. "I'm damned no matter what happens."

Despite the fact that it was nearing midnight, Soren silently slipped out into the darkness to wake Ike. He knew that if he waited till morning his courage would fail him, and there were some things, that despite his desperate wish that it wasn't so, that couldn't remain unsaid. The moonlight guided his way through camp to Ike's tent. He hesitated a long moment before entering, staring at the ground and shivering. He couldn't tell if it was the chill in the air or his dread of what was to come that made him tremble, but it hardly mattered. Things couldn't be changed now. Resigning himself to his fate, Soren lifted the tent flap and walked inside.

Ike was sprawled haphazardly on his cot, one arm dangling over the edge and his deep blue hair strongly resembling a bird's nest. The faintest trace of a smile touched Soren's lips as he noticed how adorable his commander was when he slept. "Ike!" he called softly. "Ike, wake up. I need you." He shook Ike's shoulder gently.

Ike bolted upright and leapt out of bed, not quite awake and fearing he was under attack. Soren was so taken by surprise that Ike had him pinned to the ground and was fumbling for his sword before the mage managed to gasp out, "Ike, it's me! Don't hurt me!"

"Damn, Soren, Ike whispered, pulling his friend to his feet. "I thought you were a Daein soldier! What are you doing here, anyway? It's the middle of the night."

A quick, muttered word on Soren's part lit a solitary candle that bathed the room in a pale, flickering light. "Sorry," he replied, not meeting Ike's eyes and feeling rather uncomfortable. He opened his mouth to continue, but lost his nerve and closed it again.

Ike noticed his tactician's hesitation and sensed the gravity of the situation. There wasn't much Soren wasn't willing to say, especially to him. The taller man sat down on the bed and motioned for Soren to sit beside him. He complied, though still seemed unable to speak. The blue-haired youth grasped Soren's chin, gently lifting his head and they met eyes for the first time that night.

When Ike saw that Soren's eyes were filled with fear and doubt he couldn't help himself and pulled the mage onto his lap, crushing him gently to his chest. His very bare chest. Ike slept shirtless. Soren blushed, his cheeks nearly as dark as the mark on his forehead. The little strategist was surprised but very pleased at the sudden display of affection. A reassuring squeeze loosened his tongue. "Most importantly, Nasir is acting as a spy for Daein."

"You're sure?" Ike asked, shocked. He trusted Nasir, but he trusted his tactician more, and if Soren was sure, Ike didn't doubt him in the slightest.

"Yes," Soren answered. "I can explain, if you like."

"I believe you, but it can wait till morning. You wouldn't wake me at the crack of dawn nearly in tears to warn me about Nasir. What's really bothering you?" His voice was gentle, and Soren knew that he'd never survive it if he were rejected by Ike. By the man he secretly loved.

"If you hated me I… I…" Tears rolled down Soren's cheeks as he desperately tried to think of something to say, a way to explain.

Ike took Soren's face in his hands, his thumbs wiping the tears away. "There's nothing you can say to make me hate you. I promise." he whispered.

The sincerity of his words broke through to Soren, and at last he spoke the words that he'd been dreading. "I-I'm branded."

"What's that?"

"We are crossbreeds, children of both the beorc and laguz, hated and shunned by both races. We are crimes against the goddess herself." Soren's voice was soft and low, filled with shame as he revealed his heritage to his best and only friend.

"How do you know?" Ike asked, curious.

"The mark on my forehead is proof; it's why we're called the branded."

Ike smiled and released Soren's face, instead twining his fingers through the mage's soft, ebon hair. "So what?" he asked.

"I'm a freak! Don't I disgust you? Don't you h-hate me?" Soren's voice quivered as he tried, and failed, to hold back his tears.

Ike grasped the hair at the nape of Soren's neck and gently tilted his head up. "Quite the opposite," he murmured, then bent down and caught Soren's lips with his own.

The mage froze in shock, but soon surrendered to the kiss and to the wonderful truth that had been staring him in the face all night: Ike loved him. For the first time in his life Soren felt accepted and he knew he was exactly where he belonged. With Ike.

Nasir and the war could wait until tomorrow. For now, Soren intended to stay exactly where he was.


End file.
